The 7^th Castle

Two weeks after the "Castle of Imagination" in Bytow I attended the performance art festival in Mexico. Before that journey, I had written in the beginning of this article: Ironically, artists taking part in this year's Festival focused on subtly developed meanings. They presented lots of process oriented performances, which were to be experienced by a particular audience. There were also many young artists, who reduced their expressions to one concept, to a sketch of an idea.

It turned out that in famous EX TERESA Arte Actual we could see exactly the same picture of art as in Poland. Besides, it appears in the whole world. It is not a secret that the coexistence of the classics from the 80s with the young generation is difficult, interesting and refreshing. It is interesting, because mutual relations are literally excellent. It is difficult, because many of the realizations are duplications of artistic facts that have already taken place and about which young artists often do not know. They all do everything somehow from the very beginning, on their own account, even with mistakes. And it is refreshing as they focus on basic problems.

Wladyslaw Kazmierczak & Ewa Smigielska / Poland - performance "Modern Talking"

The performance began by presenting two hammers, playing greetings cards, drinking and spilling water from glasses, hanging colourful clothespins. The artists prepared themselves for the performance by putting gel on their hair and combing it. Next, the artists began to measure the space in which they acted and stuck broad, colourful tapes: black, red and yellow to the floor. They formed a geometrical picture that alluded to Mondrian's abstract paintings. From then on, artists concentrated on moving only along those lines holding first little pendulums and then spirit levels (in ideal vertical and horizontal positions). They showed some geometrical shapes - a circle, square and cross of different sizes. In the final phase, they put all those shapes on their arms and heads, and started to dance in the rhythm of Dadaist music.
Briefly, it was an ironic statement about modernism in Dadaist style with the use of original records of Marcel Duchamp from the Cabaret Voltaire. But it is doubtful whether mockery about such a historic artistic group makes any sense. Modernism has been overcome many times. There arises the question: what were the intentions of the artists by drawing attention to the old-lady Moderna? Presumably there were no intentions. And that's probably the best way to interpret that performance. Because it did not refer to modernism in its historical sense, to its radical programs, that failed completely, leaving behind imperfect masterpieces. Rather it was about the presence of modernism in the present. It turns out, that this historical mistake has a second youth. In many different aspects: technological, social and aesthetic. These are not the artists who are interested in modernism, but the contemporary "users" of art. Modernity becomes again the aesthetic option, which is looked for nowadays in the place of art. "Modern Talking" warns against barrenness of this way that dangerously narrows down the possible spectrum of human expression. This minimalist action coincided with the famous fact of censoring the art in Brooklyn Museum. The Mayor of New York closed down the exhibition. Rudolph Giuliani becomes a guard of... what? Of the values of the majority of taxpayers and his electorate. He is one of the thousands of guards of public life in the democratic world. In the whole world, art is placed out of the frame by "decent" people: presidents, ministers, aldermen and mayors. The global model of the development of civilization aims at unbearable boredom, placidity, averaging, calmness and not posing any difficult or important questions.

Noor Effendy Ibrahim (USA / Singapore) - performance "Memory for Loss: Study II"

For the memory of loss, for the memory of Hjh. Esah Bte. Dalib, 1909 (?) - 1996, for the memory of love. After this dedication members of the public were given instructions for the performance: "Hold a glass full of clear and potable water in your right hand. Go to the roof of a building on a clear, still, sunny and dry day. Stand at the edge of the roof. Pour a drop of water, the size of a clot of blood, over the edge of the roof. Return to the foot of the building and wait for the drop of water. Catch the drop of water in the glass with your right hand. Repeat action once at different buildings of different heights until glass is empty." The naked artist was attached to a doorknocker of the Castle's tower by his neck, arms and legs with pieces of elastic. He held a glass of water in his hand. In a slow motion, which suggested an attempt to wrench himself away, to release himself from fetters, every few minutes he poured a few drops of water out of the glass. This minimalist action followed the instructions of the author the only difference being that he did not stand at the edge of the roof or run down to catch falling drops. The performance of Noor Effendy Ibrahim referred in a way to Zen, to eastern philosophy's way of thinking and feeling.

Dan McKereghan (USA) - performance "L'heure bleu + l'esprit blanc"

This artist's performance also lasted four hours. The only difference was that Dan McKereghan ended up a with fifteen-minute culmination point. Before that, he hung himself by blue belts attached to the wall in the courtyard. He was dressed in blue overalls with his face painted white. Gestures and movements performed while hanging did not refer directly to the reactions of the audience. They did not have clear meanings. It caused a kind of disruption in mutual understanding. The time the audience spent looking at the artist was limited each time. In the end, the artist released himself from the belts, wrote down the title of his performance on the courtyard, poured solvent around the inscription and set fire to it. He did this while holding a burning plate in his hand. Though we can interpret the performance of Dan McKereghan in many ways, the most striking was the reference to surrealist motives.

Michael Fortune (Ireland) - video "Obsessions"

This young artist is the master of observation of the life in his country. In a six-minute film he showed a synthesis of the mutual quarrelling in Ireland. But, was that it? Quarrelling about a border, dignity, pride, prestige and identity - i.e. these emotions that nationalism consists of. Nationalism can be greater or smaller. That performance dealt with that smaller, local one. The Irish are not nationalists when they come to the continent, but on their island, they behave in a different way. And one more thing: there appear to be more and more people in Ireland, who are being disturbed by this in their lives. They see the nonsense of divisions.
The artist has an incredible sense of humour and uses this gift mercilessly. Michael invited the audience to experience a tough day in the county Wexford gardai. This time, the artist defended the North border of Wexford that separates it from detestable Wicklow. The film showed an improbable paranoia of "being at home". "Anyway as I was saying, the fact that we're out here in the country it's hard to control what comes into the county... hang on... hang on... Fucking Wicklow birds, you know!"
In his country, Michael Fortune works in alternative venues - he shows his films and performances in pubs. This is the best strategy of all. Galleries are kind of odd, empty and useless structures for his art. His show during the Festival also took place in a pub, which had been created a year ago. It seemed that it had been set up especially for him.

Jae Rhee (USA / Korea) - performance "Solo Recitle: part II"

To understand this particularly subtle expression, it is essential to quote the text, which appeared during the performance: "Dear Dad, I was there, behind the black curtain. I was wearing white shoes. People could see only the tips of my shoes under the curtain. Did you here the sound of my cello? That was me, one with white shoes. I know there were several more kids who wore white shoes. That was mischance. You were not there anyway. We played same music with same shoes. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16... Time passes so fast. Time just passes. My cello was covered with dust. Someone cut off its string. When are we going to play it again? Time passes like sharp drill... It hurts."
Choosing a long, narrow corridor the artist was automatically forced to repeat her performance a few times. But was it a happy coincidence or a deeply conscious choice? Repeating the same activities for many times, with the recurrent text - the letter to her father, made that performance particularly powerful despite its simple construction. In the long corridor, close to the audience Jae Rhee placed her father's shoes. A bit further, she put a doll, wooden marionette, which she obviously split into pieces. Next, after changing into a white dress, she appeared at the end of the corridor with a cello in her hand, rhythmically hitting the floor with it. This type of performances does not refer to any sensational issues, but to deeply hidden emotions which are the essential part of our lives.

Nenad Bogdanovic (Yugoslavia) - performance "Man - Gallery - communication with bomb"

The artist adopted his method many years ago. 'Man - Gallery' appears in different parts of the world and suggests a certain type of communication. He makes documentation of all the interactions with spectators with a simple polaroid and this is the essence of his action. The concept is very witty. Galleries cannot travel or meet other people. But a man can. Nenad Bogdanovic breaks his isolation and the isolation of his country. One must emphasize one thing: just beside us, there live fantastic people who suffer because of historical and political turn. They do not have any influence on great policy, wars, divisions and secessions. Not everyone in his country is like Goran Bregovic who can function ideally in a commercial world. Therefore, 'Man - Gallery' appeared at the "Castle of Imagination". He suggested a different means of intercourse other than bombs. It was a very brave act, as he came to Poland - an active benjamin of NATO. The reaction of the audience was very spontaneous. The audience very quickly painted their forms on the ballistic missile previously drawn on the artist's T-shirt and trousers. The Olympic colours red, blue, black, green and yellow were used to spontaneously paint in a Flower Power style. I have never been a witness to such an interesting experience. Emotions, somehow automatically, changed a stable form into its contradiction.

Dorte Holbek (Denmark) - performance "My alchemist wedding night"

One has to begin with the fact, that Dorte got married in August this year. The performance was an ironic and sarcastic comment based on her marriage to a man. It was also full of love. Let's start from the very beginning. Dorte Holbek dressed in a white dress and white cap, which was something between Playboy bunny ears and a Viking helmet. A bit sexy, a bit threatening. On the table, she had an oven, a pot, glasses, herbs, honey, oil and water. On the tablecloth a strange clock was projected. Its hands moved quicker than normal. The artist imposed her own rhythm of time. Over her head, we could see slides of old drawings. The sound track was of banal music in a slightly porno style. At the very beginning the artist proclaimed that she was ready for her shamanistic rites. She displayed a palette of paint scented with herbs, which she had prepared. When she gained credibility as a specialist in alchemy, she started taking out parts of her just married lover from under the table. She took out his arm, a ribbon out of his finger, his ear, a plastic toy from inside his foot and confetti from the toe. His eyeball was bounced against the floor. The artist also took out a little pink bird. We do not know its Danish meaning, so we will say nothing about our interpretation to stay on the safe side. In the end - inevitably she took out his great heart. She talked about each part of her lover's body with an amazing tenderness and erotic subtexts. She put everything into the pot and boiled it. If there is a wedding, there are guests as well. If there are guests, there is a party and a toast. The artist poured some honey into the glasses, added a bit of the "bouillon" from her husband and her own milk straight from her breast and then treated all the men to the mixture. A few male spectators ran away in panic. Somebody imposed an interpretation of this performance - soft feminism. That would be too simple. Alchemy is mighty power and one should respect it.

Aileen Lambert (Ireland) - performance "Hear - here"

The artist appeared in the dark, stamping on the stairs of the Castle, or rather on the wooden stairs leading to the museum. She stopped at the landings and screamed (?), sang (?), emitted sound (?) very loudly. The mysteriousness of the action was fanned by an irritating uncertainty about the way the action was going to develop. This approximately fifteen-minute performance ended up in an equally unexpected way. It finished when the spectators, left in darkness, fell into the rhythm of the sequence of the terrifying screaming. We are tempted to make an interpretation of Aileen's performance, but we will leave this action with no comment.

Lukasz Skapski (Poland) - presentation CARP - E1 Camera for Afterimage Perforation

The work of Lukasz Skapski was a sort of special addition to the first day of the Festival. An object carefully made by the author looked like a design from the 70s. It looked like educational equipment from CEZAS (I explain the abbreviation for the younger generation: the Storehouse of Provisions for Schools). That is how it looked from the outside but the essence of this device's function was on the inside. The device was something between a telescope and a piece of military equipment. It only worked when the person using it had their head covered in black material which excluded any light. The author of the object states that it serves to check if we suffer from any disturbances in the reception of reality. But in fact, through those two oculars, one could see only lighting spots in black abyss.

Julien Blaine (France) - performance "ch'i" and "8 & ¡"

One of the greatest European artists made two performances. In both of them, he used both English and French language. To a certain extent, it was a formal trick, but it had its meaning. Firstly, the majority of spectators did not understand it. Both performances were based on the same idea of provoking a psychophysical experience. Their construction consisted of two phases: psychic concentration, self-communion and then - their relief in direct action. Secondly, because of the suggestiveness of the performance we had an impression that the artist had something really important to say. To announce somebody's death by an intense scream and a sound out of animal's horn. Maybe it was about his mother, maybe a lover. The artist's shouting disturbed the communication, but it happens anytime we want to understand a cry. It was the scream at the edge of one's endurance. In his second performance, after a period of concentration he relieved the tension through a "painter like" gesture. He threw a paintbrush dipped in paint at a plate covered with pieces of paper.

Amanda Dunsmore (Northern Ireland) & Sean Taylor (Ireland) - performance "Gabrielle'd"

The artists started their performance dressed in white overalls. The background was a well-known painting by an anonymous painter from the school of Fontainebleau. It was a portrait - a deminude of a couple. Amanda shaved Sean's head and beard with the use of electric shaver. She put his hair on an elegant, enamel tray. In the meanwhile, Sean tried to place himself in a position of a figure from the painting. After having shaved Sean's head and beard, Amanda put lipstick on his lips and nipples and some face powder on his face and chest. Amanda took off her jacket. Sean wound plastic tape around her breasts so that they became more or less flat. Next, he put some honey on her face and bosom and stuck his newly shaven hair onto her body. Amanda with moustache and hair on her breast became similar to a man. After this trick, both artists stood motionless in positions of the figures from the painting. The slide projected was blurred on purpose. The resemblance to the figures at the painting was not exact either. Although Sean Taylor is physically similar to Boy George and when he had his make-up on, the resemblance to the famous gay increased, he was still a man, though a bit awkward one. If we make an assumption that Amanda became a bloke, he was certainly quite a grotesque one. And despite the tricks made, repeating the gestures and the attempt of "fitting in" the painting, the result was somehow only partial. Generally, our picture was completely different - a contemporary one. And surely, it was all about drawing attention to the problem of sexual identity, which is not so clear for many of us.

Istvan Kovacs (Hungary) - performance "UNIREVERSE"

Istvan Kovacs chose a large, single linden on the courtyard. Before the performance, he had prepared a special construction out of rope, wood and thin cellophane, with which he encircled the trunk. It was a spiral tunnel with an entrance near a large hollow scooped out in a tree trunk. The performance began when the naked artist entered the hollow and was covered with the cellophane. After a few minutes he started to force his way outside. In the meanwhile, a young girl (Malgosia Kazmierczak), dressed in white overalls and wrapped in cellophane started to walk around, on the wall around the linden. She continued to circle the wall until the end of the performance. Istvan Kovacs covered his body with clay mixed with water and entered the tunnel. On his way, hardly seen, made unreal, being a kind of human cocoon he came across some paint with which he "got dirty" on his head and face. Afterwards, he blew with fire through a hole in the cellophane (beside the installation there was a lit candle). Crawling further, he came across honey with which he covered his body to strew feathers over himself. In a final moment, being at the upper part of the construction, covered with clay, paint, honey and feathers he made a very effective gymnastic figure, keeping his body in ideal horizontal position. Afterwards, he went down and after standing for a little while under the tree, he ended his action.
"UNIREVERSE" was the next performance of this artist. It focused on the question about the relationship between man and nature. His art has little in common with ecology. It is rather a philosophical question. Can contemporary man still be a part of nature? Or maybe, our chance of life in accordance with nature has gone forever?

Louise Liliefeldt (Canada) - performance "Under"

The artist chose a long corridor of the Castle for her performance and adopted the whole of it. On the side closest to the spectators there was a big, metal pot with water in it, on which she projected a video film. The film showed quite a simple situation, some kind of a part of nature, some kind of a construction and rhythmical hitting of a hammer. At the other end of the corridor, the kneeling artist whipped herself with a plastic scourge. She approached the pot filled with cold water and submerged her head in it. The repeated actions had their one simple rhythm.
This two-hour performance was a manifestation of disagreement or feeling of guilt for the man-nature relationships. Remarkably, the performance of Louise Liliefeldt corresponded with the previously described action of Istvan Kovacs. They obviously both met each other for the first time during the Festival.

Dorota Miron (Poland) - performance

This young artist specialises in cheating. She deceived reporters, cameramen and audience. It was enough to tell them that she would work with photosensitive materials to have a guarantee that nobody would dare use a flashlight. That lie was essential, as any kind of insubordination would cause the whole concept to fail. It was all about light. Firstly, we saw a picture with a piece of rope stretched across it. Then there was only darkness and after a few minutes, when the light was turned on again, we saw only the artist's wet clothes and underwear hanging on the washing line. She was no longer there. We do not exactly know, if she was naked or not when she was there. It was not the point to answer that question. It was irritating that the transformation did not happen under our eyes, that such an important phase in each performance was concealed. If we consider that performance in the category of a joke about the performance art, we can freely admit that the artist reached her goal.

Nenad Bogdanovic (Yugoslavia) & Wladyslaw Kazmierczak (Poland) - performance "Half - communication"

This performance was created spontaneously. There was a bottle of vodka and two glasses on the table. Wladyslaw Kazmierczak said a few sentences about the war in Yugoslavia: This year there was a war in Europe. It happened in Yugoslavia. We do not even remember the dates, when it started and when it ended. From the reports on Polish Television we do remember that thousands of refugees escaped to Albania every day. The Western press discussed only NATO failures. We know that Miloszevic is a bad man. Somebody has recently said to me that Bill Clinton is a man of a third millennium. But there a few million people between Miloszevic and Clinton.
After this short introduction, Kazmierczak threw a firework on the floor. He shook Nenad's hand and they stayed in that gesture for the whole performance. The artists had only their left hands to act with. Nenad poured some vodka into glasses and made a gesture "to your health", but his partner did not drink it. Kazmierczak took a hairdryer into his hand and blew at Nenad's hair and face with warm air. He then introduced a toy gorilla which when moved, played: "Ole, ole, ole, ole, we are the champs, we are the champs". Instead of a normal glass he took his own one, with double walls and liquid between them. He drank but he did not drink. Afterwards, he dusted Nenad with a feather duster. He sprayed him with perfumes and gave him a red heart. Next, he started to hit him with all his might with a plastic air-toy in the shape of a flail with a sphere studded with nails at the end of it. He waved a bundle of bank notes under his nose. But Nenad's face was motionless, stiffened during the whole performance. Afterwards, Kazmierczak started to shoot at Nenad with a plastic sparking toy-gun. The gorilla-mascot played his "Ole, ole" from time to time. But it did not work, so Kazmierczak started to shoot at Nenad from the best gun in the world - UZI. He showed his partner a colourful toy sword, a Barbie doll and another one, next - a bigger heart that when pressed shouted "I love you, I love you". Then, he put on a rubber mask with an odious tongue and showed a gesture "V" - Victory. Through a magnifying glass he showed his eyes and the eyes of Nenad. He took a blow-up baseball bat in the colours of the American flag and with all his might hit Nenad on the head. After taking off the mask there were a series of short displays of already shown gadgets after which Kazmierczak put a target on a Yugoslavian artist's neck and a plastic air-helmet (of samurais?, pilots?) on his head and threw darts at the target. In that moment, the music started - "Alabama Song: (whiskey bar)" of The Doors. After two minutes the artists stood up. "Half-communication" was over. In the end.

I have a few reflections about performance art. It turns out to be the only genre of art that does not yield to compromise. The distance between the art presented in galleries and the performance art is more and more visible. And it is not all about claiming triumphal victory, but about pointing out a very dangerous fact - the gradual elimination of the important kind of art from our environment. The artists and curators have less and less to say in this process and... they accept the rules imposed by governments and parliaments of towns and countries. The ethos of freedom in art gradually becomes a blurred notion. "Freedom - yes!, but not for our money". Art is consciously placed out of the frame of each society. Conservatism of societies is not a new phenomenon. It has always existed. A number of critical people would like to see this process as the fall of art, as an empty dummy pretending art. But let's not forget that this impudent compromise is a live, dynamic process. "The global model of the development of civilisation aims at unbearable boredom, placidity, averaging, calmness and not posing any difficult or crucial questions."

Wladyslaw Kazmierczak
Translated by Malgorzata Kazmierczak